Dhvani Khanderia – An E-Entrepreneur at the age of 20

“It all started with the help of my dad! He knew very well that I was just like the other girls who loved to spend money on clothes, going out with friends, movies etc! He purposely used to give me just Rs 600 as my pocket money for 30 days! I started complaining asking him to increase it, so he offered me a deal! He asked me to join his business (Into websites), and asked me to work just for 1 hr anytime in the day and he would pay me Rs. 1000. I found it quite interesting and agreed with the deal!

Slowly, this deal actually became my passion! And I started loving this! This is how I learnt web-designing and planned to launch my 1st website – www.GlamWorldChennai.com

Glam was launched only with the help of my dad! He introduced me to his friend who deals with women’s apparel and accessories and this is how my journey in business started!”

What do you think are the challenges faced by younger Entrepreneurs like yourself?

“In the initial stages its difficult to get customers. People do not trust you easily because of your age. My business policy is such that I ask people to 1st make a bank transfer (In case of deliveries) and then I confirm their orders. So in the beginning, people refused to do so, but later as they got reviews from their friends, the trust factor creeped in and helped me. Definitely competition is also a big challenge and it is always going to be a big one.”

What are your goals for the business and yourself?

“I want to set up an extensive online store featuring all possible products for men & women, give them the latest news about the trends.”

What’s the toughest feedback you’ve ever received and how did you learn from it?

“The customers who approached me for the 1st time asked me where my store is located. Since we are an online store, I do not keep items in stock. So, many people said that you will not have a good response if you do not keep stock. At first I felt what they were saying was right. I had a discussion about it with my dad. He convinced me saying, what I was doing was absolutely right, keeping the stock is a big problem, you have dead stock and then disposing those off means losses. So basically, I learnt that it would be good if we could provide a return/exchange option to our customers because many times the customers change their minds once they buy the products. We now allow for returns and exchange on certain products.”

What key personal characterstics do you see in yourself that were especially important for your success?

“Patience & confidence are the 2 most important characteristics. In the initial stages you will not have an encouraging response, so its very necessary that you be patient and DO NOT give up. And always have confidence in whatever you’re doing. People will comment & criticise, do not bother. Do what you feel is right and portray a confident picture of yourself so that they do not have a chance to pull you down. Once they come to know that you are not confident about yourself, that is the time they are waiting for. Always be confident & patient.”

What three pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today?

Exactly like how Seth Godin preaches, Dhvani says “See the trend, decide your products/services and give it your best. When you start off consider having only 10 satisfied customers rather than having 100 unsatisfied customers and spoiling your brand name. 10 satisfied customers will spread the word to atleast 10 people each and you’ll quickly have 100 people wanting to buy from you”.